Electric-railway system



N0. 6|3,433. Patented Nov. I, I898. L. E. WALKINS ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

(Application filed Nov. 18, 1897.)

2 Sheets m I.

(No Model.)

' ATENT FFICE.

LOUIS E. WALKINS, OF SPRINGFIELD,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALE TO GEORGE M. JEWETT, OF GLENVILLE, MARYLAND.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

srEorrrcArIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,433, dated November 1, 1395;. Application filed November 13, 1397. Serial N0.658,905. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS E. WALKINS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric- Railway Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an electric-railway system in which are comprised feed and return conductors, a generator with feed and return connections with said conductors, a series of contact-switches at regular intervals about the lengthof a car apart located in a line along the railway, one member of each switch being connected with the feed-conductor, a second series of contact-switches at correspondingly regular intervals apart in another line along the railway, but located relatively intermediate between the contactswitches of the first series, said contactswitches of both series having exposed current-conducting members which are adapted to be impinged upon by sidewise-separated longitudinal runners located on and under the motor-car, all whereby the car, through its runners successively contacting on and depressing the conductor members of switches of both series of such switches, will establish current connection from the dynamo through the switches to the car and return in rapid succession for the propulsion of the car as it travels, and whereby from the relatively in termediate or alternating arrangement of the contact-switches it becomes impossible for a person on a railway'to depress by his presence contact-switches of both the series.

This invention more particularly relates to the specific construction and combination of parts which constitute the contact-switches in a system such as above referred to; and the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, all substantially as hereinafter-set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the improved electric railway, showing comprised therein at intervals a series of the contact switches in wired connection with the feed and return conductors. Fig. 2 is a plan View, on a larger scale,of one of the contact-switches. Fig.3 is a sectional elevation of one of the contact-switches, together with a portion of one of the underhanging horizontal longitu- 5 5 dinal runners for the car. Fig.4 is a side elevation showing the car with the runners on an electric railway and in operative relation to the contact-switches for assuring a current from the feed-conductor through one of the switches and by Way of the runner through the motor of the car and back through the other runner and other contact-switch over which the car has its location. Fig. 5 is a plan view below the carbody, showing the motortruck: and runners. V

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

. In the drawings, A A represent the usual car-track rails.

' B represents the power station or generator.

0 represents the line or feed conductor, connected by wire 2 from the generator and shown in the form of a continuous wire or rail sup ported on the cross-ties and extending along the railway between the car-track rails, and D represents the return-conductor, connected by wire 2 back to the generator, said conductor D being also a continuous wire or rail supported above the surface of the railway 8.0 on the cross-ties near, but separated from, the conductor-rail O. Said wires or conductors are thoroughly insulated.

G G represent the return contact-switches.

E E represent the feed contact-switches,

these switches being located upon the ties so that they are situated about a car-length between each other, and such switches are all so located upon the railway that each one of the switch devices wired in at V for the feed 0 current is located between two of, the returncontact-switch devices G G, which are wired to'the return-conductor D, as indicated at V F represents an insulated base-support, on

i which is secured the contact-switch, this base 9 5- being bolted to a tie.

K represents a copper or other metallic transversely-arranged conductor member of the switch, with which comes in running or sliding contact a conductor or runner a or b,

located upon the moving car, and this contact-conductor is secured to and carried by paired levers P P, secured to a shaft N, mounted in and insulated from the two boxes M.

J J represent springs applied in cases j therefor to the angularly-bent extremities of the lever-arms P to keep the contact-conductor normally up to the position shown in Fig. 3, leaving the switch open and preventing the current from passing onto the contactcondnctor K only during the time the latter is depressed by the fixed running contactconductor upon the moving car.

Q represents the stationary portion or section of the switch, connected to the wire V or V which runs, respectively, to the adjacent portion of the feed-conductor (J. S represents the other and movable portion of the switcl1,which is carried by shaft N and through it connected as one to the contact member or conductor K and adapted when the running conductor secured on the moving car (shown in Fig. 3) arrives to contact on the part K, depressing it to bring the contact-point S of the switch in connection with the contact Q, which completes the circuit through the switch to the motor of the car, and the spring J after the car has passed away brings the contact S away from the contact Q, thus preventing the current from then passing into the contact-conductors k.

T represents a case or closure for the switch members, the same being formed in two cupshaped halves bolted together.

a indicates the fixed return conductor or runner, secured bythe proper support at either end of the car in a longitudinal direction and extending horizontally beneath the car and under the trucks, preferably at one side of the center line. 1) represents the other similar fixed conductor or runner, secured to the body of the car, this conductor ranging parallel with the return-conductor a, but apart therefrom, by being located on the other side of the central line of the car-body.-

c 0 represent the feed-conductor wires connecting runner b to the motor 6.

f f represent the return-wire conductors from the motor to runner ct.

It is perceived that the movable portion of each contact-switch is composed of an inverted U or bail shaped lever, the extremities of which are intermediately thereof mounted for rocking movement on the shaft N, and that the intermediate uniting portion of this double or U -shaped lever comprising the contacting member K has considerable extent transversely of the railway,by reason of which there may be relative to the contact members K by the runner-rods while the latter are in depressing and running contact thereon also laterally sliding or shifting motions, as occurs where the railway is not straight or from other causes, such as the swaying of the cars, and thus by the considerable transverse extent of the portions K of the contact-switches the running and depressing contact is always insured while the car is passing thereover and all in a simple and practicable way.

The operation of the system is as follows: It being remembered that the feed-conductor contact-switches herein described are located upon the ties of the railway, each successively about the length of a car apart, each switch being connected with the feed-wire conductor 0 from the power plant or dynamo B, and that the return-switch conductor-contacts are located upon the ties of the railway successively about one length of a car apart, but so situated as to be relatively intermediate between and one-half of a car-length away from each of the feed-conductor contact-switches in either direction, as the car moves upon the railway the fixed conductors or runners, as herein described, secured to the body of the car and running underneath the same-,are always in contact, respectively,with one of the feed and return switches, and a complete circuit comprising feed-conductors Z 0, switchwiring-in conductor V, and closed switch members Q S, through contact member K of a contact-switch E and the runner b, thence by wire 0 to and through the motor-car 6 therefrom by wire f, to and through return-runner a on the car, to and through closed switch members Q S and contact K of a return contact-switch G and by way of wiring-in conductor V return-conductor D,and conductor Z back to the generator, and as the car is propelled along manifestly the motor-current is established from the line feed-conductor 0 through successively-operated feed contactswitch to the motor and back to line returnconductor through successively-operated return contact-switches, the car-runners being always in depressing contact on one feed con tact-switch and one return contact-switch,- although before a runner has fairly passed off from a contact-switch at the rear it comes fully to depressing and switch-closing engagement with the contact switch in line next in advance.

It is to be particularly noted that I regard the placing of the contact-switches provided at intervals along the feed-wires O relatively intermediate of the other contact-switches provided for the return-wire D important in this surface-contact electric-railway system for the reason that While the capabilities for the actions and results described are maintained one contact-switch being about or almost half a car-length distant from another, all liability of a person who may be on the railway to at one time accidentally or otherwise close a contact-switch for both conductor-rails is obviated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An electric railway comprising in combination, a line or feed conductor, a generator therewith connected, and a return-conductor, a series of contact-switches each consisting of a fixed member Q and a horizontal shaft N having journal-supports at'its ends, and carrying between its ends the radial member S, a double lever P having the transverse uniting member K and having its opposite portions intermediately aflixed on said shaft, N, the cylindrical spring-cases located under the free ends of said levers P, and the springs in said cases exerting a pressure on said levers to maintain the member K normally elevated, the circular shell or casingT surrounding the intermediate portion of said shaft and inclosing and protecting the fixed and movable switch-contact members, a second series of similar contact-switches, the fixed member of each thereof being connectedwith the return-conductor, and having their location in a line parallel with that of the firstnamed switch series, but relatively intermediate thereof, together with the car having 20 the motor thereon and the two underlying longitudinal horizontal runners b a,- the one 19, having a wire running therefrom to the mo;

I the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 19th day of Octo= ber, 1897.

LOUIS E. WALKINS.

Witnesses;

WM. Si BELLoWs, M. A. CAMPBELL. 

